Many Seattle Kraken fans are excited to get to know Lane Lambert, the coach, for this upcoming NHL season, but did you know that Lambert had a lengthy career as a right-handed center in his playing days? Let's take a look at Lane Lambert, the player, before we get a chance to see Lane Lambert, the coach, in the next few months.
Lambert was born in Melfort, Saskatchewan in Canada in 1964. He began his junior career in 1980 with the Swift Current Broncos of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, scoring 97 points in 55 games. After that standout season, he signed to play in the Western Hockey League with the Saskatoon Blades notching an impressive 237 points in 136 games between two seasons. Lambert was also was very familiar with the penalty box, serving a total of 237 penalty minutes in those two years.
The Detroit Red Wings selected Lambert in the 2nd round of the 1983 NHL Draft. The 25th overall pick shared the draft stage with Hall-of-Famers such as Pat LaFontaine, Cam Neely, and Steve Yzerman. In addition, fellow head coach Bruce Cassidy, who is currently the head coach of the Vegas Golden Knights, was also drafted in 1983, by the Chicago Blackhawks.
Lambert Immediately started playing for the Red Wings in the fall of 1983, where he spent two full and one partial seasons. In his Red Wings tenure, he scored 65 points (36 goals and 29 assists). Lambert also racked up 349 penalty minutes in 176 games, mostly due to fighting. In his first three NHL seasons, he dropped the gloves a total of 37 times.
The 1986-87 season saw Lambert start on the New York Rangers roster, playing only 18 games, before being traded to the Quebec Nordiques where he played the remainder of the season and until 1989. In his time with the Nordiques, he recorded 55 points and 139 penalty minutes in 89 total games. 1989 would be the last season that Lambert would play in the NHL.
Between 1989 and 1996, Lambert played overseas primarily in Germany for Duesseldorf EG and Switzerland for Ajoie HC and Langnau SC, with an additional 58 games for the Canadian National Team.
From 1996 and 2001, Lambert played the remainder of his pro career in the International Hockey League, splitting time with the Cleveland Lumberjacks and Houston Aeros. In 1999, he helped the Aeros win the Turner Cup which was the IHL championship trophy at the time. Once he was done playing, he quickly turned to coaching, starting as an assistant coach with the WHL's Moose Jaw Warriors in 2002.
Even though Lambert is well past his playing days, he still has quite a bit in the tank as a coach. We look forward to seeing the energy and competitiveness he brings to the bench this upcoming season as the Kraken look to rebound from last year.
Related
Video: Lane Lambert Officially Introduced As Kraken Head Coach — “Felt Like Joining a Family”Lambert featured photo by - via hockeydb.com
Lambert hero photo by - via Detroit Free Press